HELLO MY LOVES!!!!

Oh, how I miss you all! It sounds like things are going really well for most of you... And I am proud of you for keeping up the hard work and dedication. It really is amazing how far you've come and how much you have learned both from your teachers and from yourselves! Good job! Keep it up, you're almost at the finish line.

I wanted to tell you about an amazing experience I had this past weekend. I went to Southern Illinois University in Carbondale for 4 days to be a visiting artist. I met with grad students, gave a lecture, and used the Nature Games work as fuel for a two-day workshop in the woods that surround the campus. I'm telling you, I feel transformed! But what's interesting is that little book in the back of the gallery that you all wrote in was the inspiration. (Danny- I need to know the name of the dance-- I thought it would be in the book, but it's not! If you want me to do it...)

There was a group of about 10 of us that consisted of undergrads, grads, staff, and teachers. Saturday morning I gave them some paper and a list, much like your gathering exercise, that they had to complete in the woods. They came back in the afternoon and we looked at the results. Then we had an amazing conversation about creative impulses. The list inspired them to do their own experiments (or games-- which I now want to call impulses). So for the rest of the afternoon, they each did their own thing. Then on Sunday, I asked them to describe what they did by using the imperative and write simple instructions for each action they took. O mi God! Some of them were hilarious! And others quite beautiful. Together we edited the list down to about 10 activities and then we went out in the woods and collaboratively "played" each others games. It was amazing and at times VERY silly. Don't worry: there will be video!

The thing is, that what many of you have been describing- following one impulse and letting that lead you to the next and so on-- it applies to life in so many ways... And that book in the back of the gallery that you participated in now make you a part of my work... which I am grateful for.

Thinking of you very often.... and sending you lots of good energy for this final push!

xo

Jana